Washington, DC – The US military announced the killing of an Iranian official it said led a unit behind an alleged assassination attempt against US President Donald Trump. This comes amid ongoing military operations between the United States and Iran that have been underway for four days.
The announcement was made during a briefing at the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth explained that the operation was carried out on Tuesday, noting that the Iranian official was not the primary target of the attack. However, he was on the target list.
Details of the operation and Hegseth’s statements
“We tracked down and killed the leader of a unit that attempted to assassinate President Trump,” Hegseth said at a press conference. He added that Tehran had previously tried to target Trump, “but the president had the final say.”
He confirmed that the Iranian official was targeted as part of the accountability process. However, tracking him down was not an immediate priority for the president or during the initial planning of the operation.
Background of the mutual accusations
In 2024, the US Department of Justice indicted an Iranian man in connection with an alleged plot, ordered by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, to assassinate then-President-elect Trump. Tehran has repeatedly denied these allegations.
Trump previously referred to what he called an “Iranian plot” in a media interview. He also spoke of a joint US-Israeli operation targeting senior Iranian leaders.
The strikes have expanded and the Iranian attacks have decreased.
For his part, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Keane said the U.S. military is making “steady progress” in its operations against Iran. He noted that Iranian ballistic missile launches have decreased by 86% since the first day of fighting, while drone attacks have declined by 73%.
He added that U.S. forces have established air superiority over Iran’s southern coast. They also intend to expand operations deeper into Iranian territory, allowing U.S. forces greater freedom of movement in the next phase.
